Striping attachment for knitting machines



A. E. PAGE STRIPING ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES May 21, 1929.

Filed April 18, 1928 2 Sheets-She et 1 INVENTOR I ALBERT E. PAGE i7 izz's 4220777638 May 21, 1929.

A. E. PAGE 1,714,400

STRIPING ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A .a/ I 'INVENTOR Z7 T -Y ALBERT a. PAGE kg. dzzww plan view of the bobbin stand and needle 1,114,400 ES. PATENT OFFICE.

rammed Ma .21, 1929.

' ALBERT 1. PAGE, 61* BnooxrYN, new YORK, nssrenon To scoTT & WILLIAMS, 11i- CORPORATE); OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

sTRIPme ATTACHMENT FOR IgNITTING mcnmns.

Application filed April 1a, 1928. serial no- 270,985.

This invention relates to circular knitting axis being keyed to a large horizontal bevel machines and an attachment for making vergear 13 revolvingly carried in the bracket 11.

tical stripes in the fabric by means of knit- This bevel gear 13 meshes with abevel pinion, ting in a .plating yarn Where the stripes are 14 driven by bevel gear 15 and pinion 16, the desired. One object ofnny invention is to latter being mounted on a vertical shaft 17 produce an attachment which is simple and driven from the main shaft in any usual manaccurate. In the accompanying drawings I ha, such for instance as that shown in the have shown my mechanism embodied in one Patent 1,282,958 issued to Robert W. Scott of'the well-known Scott & Williams type of .on October 29, 1918. v revolving needle cylinder seamless hosiery On the axis12 abovethe bracket are mountmachines. L ed the spools 18 carrying the yarn Y, and the In the drawings; 1 take-up devices 19. After leaving the take- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the head of a up devices the yarnspass through guide holesknitting machine, partly in section, showing 20 in the bevel gear 13 and thence directly my invention embodied therein; to yarn fingers 21 hinged on a bracket 22 car- Fig. 2 is *an elevation of the head of the med by the ring 23, the ring being fast on the same machine taken from the right side; axis 12 below the bracket 11. These fingers Fig. 3 is an exaggerated plan view of the are normally held in a vertical position by bobbin stand and needle cylinder taken on springs 24 and when in this position are rethe line 33 of Fig. 2; tracted with relation to the needles N in the Fig. 4 is a detail of part of the bobbin cylinder 260, lying a short, distance within stand driving gear from the plane indicated the needle circle at the point where the circle by the line 6-6 in Fig.1; of yarn fingers approach nearest to the Fig. 5 is an exaggerated diagrammatic needle cylinder.

These yarn fingers are adapted to have cylinder showing interengagement of the their toes 25 tipped radially outward by an yarns; and achustable cam 26 engaging the upper end Fig; 6 is a similar view showing the rela-' of the yarn fingers. This cam 26 is pivottion of the bobbin stand tothe needle cylinally mounted to the bracket 11 by means of a der a moment later than in Fig. 5. yoke 27 which permits it to be swung down In fabric made by my attachment suppleinto operative relation with the upper end m'entaryyarns of the desired color or colors of the yarn fin ers', as desired. This cam is are wrapped around the needles which are to normally held in operative relation with the knit the stripe or stripes and these striping npPerlends of the yarn fingers b means of a .yarns are knit in with the ordinary yarn, the spring 28 fastened to one end o the'yoke 27 striping yarns being knit on the outside of and to the bracket 11, the exact operative the fabric so that the stripe will show. These level ofthe cam being adj ustablejb' means yarns are fed from a bobbin stand having an of a screw 29 in the yoke (Fig. 1). he yoke axis permanently fixed on a center eccentric is lifted and lowered b one end'of a lever 30,

to the center of the needle cylinder, this b0b-' 'plvoted on the latch ring 550, and having at 95- bin stand carrying the yarns, take-ups, andits other end 'an'eccentrically adjustable pin. yarn fingers. v 31 overlying the upper end'of a thrust rod Referring now to the drawings, the ma- 460. This thrust rod, as usual, is raised and chine has the usual bed-plate B, revolving lowered by means of a high earn 501 and a low needle cylinder 260, latch ring 55.0, pivoted cam 502 on the main pattern drum 120, the 160 I on the bracket 401 carried by the bed-plate, pattern drum thereby serving to determine and a main'pattern drum 120 for the purwhen the yarnfingers shall betipped out into pose, among other things, of actuating a 0perative relation with the needles.- This thrust rod 460 to control the feeding of the lever 30 'has a spring 32 attached thereto. splicing yarns; Projecting upwardly from which tends to tip the lever upwardly against 'thelatch ring- 550 is a bracket 11 carrying the the yoke and hold it in its uppermost posibobbin stand and gears for driving same. tion. It will therefore be observed that'when This bobbin stand comprises an axis or the thrust rod islowered the springs 28 and spindle 12 set a fraction of an inch off center 32 "willraise'the cam 26 out of contact with with relation to the needle. cylinder 260, this the yarn fingers 21 and thatwhen the thrust As can be noted from the dot and dash lines in Fig. 5 the yarn fingers in efiect drop g behind and then get ahead of their corre- 7 upon which the yarn making the welt sponding striping needles every revolution of the cylinder, but that the axis 12 is permanently fixed eccentrically to the center of the needle cylinder, the distance equal to the two dot and dash lines seen .near the bottom of Fig. 1. The axis thus is within the needle circle, by which is meantthat, whether or not it extends below the top of the needle cylinder, it lies inside of the cylindrical space defined bv the circle in which the needles normally turn. The path of the yarn fingers intersects and is eccentric to the needle circle in the same sense whether it is above or below the top of the needle cylinder.

It will be obvious from the description already given that since the toes of the yarn fingers are revolved on a radius which is shorter than that of the needle cylinder their circumferential speed is less than that of the needles and that when the toe has been projectedacross the needle circle it will drop back relatively to the needles and when returned toward the center of the needle circle will have wrapped the yarns around some of the needles; In Figs. 3, 5 and 6 the needles has been or is to be wrapped are shown in outline while the remainder of the needles are shStwn solid.

For the urposes of illustration I will now describe t e operation of the attachment when making a striped stocking. en bf the stocking where no vertical stripes are desired the thrust rod 460 will be riding on the surface of thepattern drum 120 and the springs 28 and 32 will therefore be holding the cam 26 up abovethe upper ends of the yarnfingers 21. It will be noted that the axis 12 is revolved in unison with the needle cylinder at all times by means of the gears and pinions'13, 14, 15 an 16, and

that the axis carries with it the spools of yarn Y, the take-ups 19 andflthe yarn fin-z gers 21.

When it is desired to begin making vertical "stripes around the complete circumference 0? the stocking the revolution of the pattern drum 120v causes the thrust rod to ride up on the high cam 501 which lowers theyarn finger cam 26 into theipath of the upper ends of all the yarn finge s 21 as shown in Fig. 1. This cam 26 being semi-circular engages the upper ends of the yarnfingers a short distance less than 180 in advance of the knocking-over point (indicated by an arrow in Figs. 3, 5 and 6), and pushes the toes of the yarn fingers radially outward over the needles and holds them there until shortly before the needles reach the knitting cams. The striping needles can be raised above the adjacent needles by means of cylinder jacks in any well-known manner, as for instance by the mechanisms shown in the patents to Smith 1,169,436, Bosworth 1,402,394aor Scott 1,628,517. Each yarn finger is adjiisted to cross the circle of needles in a manner which lays that striping yarn Y just ahead of the corresponding striping needles, the yarn .ooming from the inside of the needle circle. The needles then pass ahead of the yarn finger and the latter as it crosses back inside the needle circle completes the wrapping of the thread around the needles. It will be noted that each striping yarn is'held at the inside of the striping needle at the sinker after the stripe is once commenced, thus insuring .extra amount of striping yarn thus drawn being retrieved by the take-u devices 19, one '7 tor-each yarn. It will be 0 served that the yarn fingers are revolving with a lesser linear velocity than the needles, on an axis which is I fixed eccentrically to the center of the needle circle which insures accurate timing of the yarn fingers relativel to the needles.

When the leg of the stocking is finished and the machine starts making the heel, the

thrust rod 460 drops oii the high cam 501,

thus allowing the yarn finger cam 26 to rise out of contact with the upper ends of the yarn fingers 21 and stop the striping. When the heel has been completed, the thrust rod rides up on to the low earn 502 lowering the yarn finger cam. slightly till in engagement with the yarn fingers whose upper ends are not cut away. The fingers acted on can have their upper ends shaped similarly to the ones shown on the right in Fig. 1. Yarn fingers llO shaped in this manner are located on the por-- tion of the circle of needles which is knitting the instep and in this way a striped instep and plain sole are obtained.

In each striped course the striping yarn fingers are moved round and round and successively out andback in order to cause their feedingvends to cross the needle circle twice in each revolution, the said ends moving in a path which lies mainly within the needle circle but intersects it since the movement along this path is about'an axis having a fixed eccentricity with respect to the center of the needle. clrcle. In addition, the movability of these fingers permits the fingers to be rendered ineflective for feeding to the needles at a selected point in the machines cycle as determined by the pattern drum since, when the latter operates the mechanism to cause the cam 26 to lift, the fingers move to and remain in aposition in which they do not feed.

'The same results may be effected by other. arrangements embodying underlying thoughts of this invention, namely, the rotation of'the feeding points on an axis of fixed eccentricity and in a path intersecting but lying mainly within theneedle circle, and the movement to an inoperative position at a predetermined point in the cycle of the machine. Heretofore there has been no union of the advantages of the eccentric arrangement, which causes the yarn fingers to approach and recede from the needle bank while moving at lower linear velocity than the needles, with the advantages of render- I ing the yarn fingers ineffective after a desired number of striped courses, except by varying the eccentricity to give the latter.

It will be obvious that by means of my attachment a simple and accurate means of producin g vertical stripes in fabric has been produced and one which is adapted to be attached to the modern revolving needle cylinder machine for the production of striped fabric having striped insteps and plain soles.

I claim: I

1. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder, a revolving bobbin stand, yarn fingers to receive yarn therefrom and a support for said yarn fingers, the axis of said support being mounted within the needle circlewith fixed eccentricity with respect to the center of the needle cylinder and the yarn fingers thereon revolvingwith lesser linear velocity than the needles, said yarn fingers being adapted to be moved into and out of operative relation with the needles.

2. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder, a revolving bobbin stand, a yarn finger support and pivotedyarn fingers on said support revolving w1th lesser linear velocity than the needles, in combination with means adapted to move saidyar'n fingers into and out of operative relation with the needles by tipping the yarn fingers relatively to the said suppo rt, the axis of said bobbin stand being fixed in its eccentricity relatively to the needle cylinder and being within the needle circle.

3. A circular knitting machine havin a revolving needle cylinder, a revolving bob in stand, yarn fingers receiving yarn therefrom and a revolvin support for said yarn fingers, the axis of said support being mounted within the needle circle with fixed eccentricity with respect to. the center of the needlecyl- I 4. A circular knitting machine havingfa revolving needle cylinder, a revolving bob stand, yarn fingers to receive yarn therefrom and a revolving support for said fingers, the axis of said support being mounted within the needle circle with fixed eccentricity with respect to the center of the needle cylinder and the yarn fingers thereon revolving with lesser linear velocity than the needles, .said needle cylinder and said support having the same angular velocity, said yarn fingers being adapted to be moved into and out of operative relation with the needles.

5. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder, a yarn finger supporting means revolubly mounted with its axis within the needle circle and having a fixed eccentricity with respect to the center of the needle cylinder, and a yarn finger, at an off-center point on said supporting means, adapted to be moved into and out of operative relation to the needles and to revolve at l a linear velocity different from that of'the yarn finger in unison with the needles in a path intersecting and having a fixed eccen-.

tricity with respect to the needle circle and at a linear velocity lower than that of the needles, together with means for moving said yarn finger into and out of operative relation to the needles. i

8. A circular knitting machine havin a revolving needle cylinder, revolving bobbins, yarn fingers to receive yarn from saidbobbins and means for revolving the feeding ends of said yarn fingers in a path intersecting and. having a fixed eccentricity with respect to the needle circle and at a linear velocity lower than that of the needles, together with means i for moving said yarn fingers into and out of operative relation to the needles.

9. A; circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder, revolving bobbins, I

yarn fingers to receive yarn from said bobbins and means for revolvlng the feeding ends of said yarn fingers in unison with the needles inder and the yarn fingers thereon revolving,

with lesser linear velocity than the needles,

said needle cylinder and said support having the same angular velocity, said yarn fingers being adapted to be moved into and out of operative relation with the needles.

in a path intersecting and havin a fixed eccentricity with respect to the need e circle and at a linear velocity lower than that of the needles, together with means for-moving said yarn fingers into and out of operative rela-.

tion to the needles. 7

10. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder and striping yarn fingers, means for rotating said fingers in unison with the needles but at a lower linear velocity upon' an axis having a fixed eccentricity with respect to the center of the needle of the machine.

11. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder, a spindle having a fixed eccentricity with respect to the center,

of the needle cylinder,.striping yarn fingers supported by said spindle and turning therewith and means for moving said fingers turn for turn with the needles and in such a way thatthepath of their feeding ends intersects the needle circle. 1

. 12. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder, striping yarn fingers mounted to turn about an axis having a fixed eccentricity with respect to the center of the needle circle, and means for moving said fingers turn for turn with the needles and in such a waythat the path of their feeding ends intersects the needle circle.

n testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

'jALBERT PAGE. 

